Archives for April 2014

A tractor-trailer driver hauling meat was in a bit of a pickle as he tried to get fuel in Kirksville yesterday. The driver turned too tightly getting off Baltimore, causing the trailer wheels to go off into the ditch and his drive wheels to get suspended in mid-air. Worse yet, most of the truck blocked Baltimore…for the over two hours it took to get a air of tow trucks to the scene and figure out just how to get the semi and trailer out of the ditch without breaking them apart. The truck had just been loaded at Adair Foods, and the 42-thousand pound weight sunk the back tires of the trailer deeply into the mud in the ditch. The truck was righted and traffic flowed again on Baltimore about 7:45pm.

Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel is going to give one Missouri family a $5,290 boost to start a 529 college savings plan. The contest runs through May, via the state’s MOST 529 College Savings Plan. Missouri residents 18 years or older can enter to win the $5,290 MOST 529 account for a child who is a minor. To enter, visit MissouriMost.org during the month of May. The winner will be notified the first week of June. Treasurer Zweifel will be visiting schools around the state throughout the month of May to discuss the importance of higher education with elementary school students.

Macon Police have announced the results of their participation Saturday in the National Drug Take Back Event. Macon Police Department Secretary, Modeste Ewing says the agency collected 72 pounds of unwanted medications for disposal, several pounds more than the collection last October. A total of 420.5 pounds of medication has been collected from Macon residents since beginning the program in October 2011. The purpose of the program is to help prevent accidental drug overdose and misuse/abuse as well as offering a safe way to dispose of medications to avoid contamination to the community’s water supply. Local authorities plan to hold another DEA organized collection event in the Fall of 2014.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is looking for fishing families for a day of fishing of all types at Thousand Hills State Park. The family fishing day is scheduled for May 31st from 1 to 4 p.m. A morning clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, covering the basics of fishing skills. There is no cost for the program, but you must pre-register by May 23rd. During the morning clinic, families will learn proper fishing techniques, different methods of fishing including pole and line, jugs and lines, and an overview of the bait and tackle commonly used in Missouri. Participants will then take to the lake with guides on boats to try out their new fishing skills. A fish cleaning and prep demonstration will also be provided, with gear available for participants.

Adair County Commissioners talked about pot holes with MoDot reps on Monday. They talked about old man winter and all the holes he kicked in the roads around here. They’re in the process of patching them, but if you see one, or run into one, MoDot says they’d like to hear about it. In many cases, they try to get the patch done in 24 hours. You can call 1-888-ASKMODOT to report a pothole.

A long line of severe weather that included tornadoes in southern Missouri, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas also brought severe weather to northeast Missouri. Unofficial reports made to the National Weather Service include pea-size hail in Kirksville, which also experienced 60-70 mile per hour wind gusts; spotters reported 70pm gusts in Chillicothe, straight line wind damage was reported in Meadville, and penny-size hail was reported in Milan.

To our south, Joplin barely missed being hit again, with spotter-confirmed tornadoes passing north and south of Joplin; the one that passed north of Joplin injured 25 people as it passed through Baxter Springs, KS. The only fatalities we’ve heard of so far were in Quapaw, Oklahoma, which is in the northeastern corner not far from Baxter Springs. Totnadoes also reported in several counties in Iowa from this system, which is forecast to bring another tornado outbreak to the mid-South today.

Kirksville police and the State Fire Marshal’s office are involved in the investigation of a house fire reported late Thursday evening. Investigators said Friday the fire had the appearance of being intentionally set. The home in the 500 block of E. Hickory St. was reported on fire about 8:30pm. The apartment at the back was where arriving crews found smoke and flames. No injuries were reported. Investigators say the fire appeared to be incendiary in nature, meaning it was intentionally set. Both the state fire marshal’s office and Kirksville Police arson investigators are involved with the case.

Kirksville police investigating a crime that doesn’t happen here often — a cross-burning.

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A six foot wooden cross that was built for a grave — was stolen — and set on fire in a yard on East Porter. Happened early Friday morning. The woman who lives in the home is white, her son is black. Was it a hate crime? Police trying to figure that out. When officers arrived, the cross had stopped burning — they said someone wrapped a curtain around the cross and set it on fire. At this point, no suspects in the case.

Investigators will start work today to determine the cause of a fire last night hat destroyed half of a Kirksville duplex. A 9-1-1 call about 8:30pm suimmoned firefighters, who had the blaze under control in about half an hour. Thursday evening. The fire heavily damaged the unoccupied back unit of the duplex. The woman who lived in the front unit made it out safely.